Monthly Archives: September 2015

Armello a beautiful mix of card game, tabletop and RPG, is available now on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, DRM-free on GOG.com

Looks aren’t everything, and they can be deceiving. Armello’s beautiful art, from the 2D Animated cutscenes through the 3D world and its characters, is an exceptional achievement that marries classic aesthetics with completely new mediums. The warmth of a classic Disney cartoon emanates from every corner of this graphical masterpiece.But in armello, looks are just the tip of the iceberg – and deceiving they are. Underneath the lighthearted and whimsical facade is a deep, sophisticated mix of strategy, card game and RPG – it’s no child’s play. Your adventures across the world of Amello will be filled with peril, tactical challenge and difficult decisions – you’ll affect the politics of this world, as well as its people. And whether you’re a bear, a fox, or a bunny rabbit – your quest for the crown will be painted with blood. Armello takes the classic fantasy of cartoon animal adventure, and the feel of a truly mature tabletop, and brings them together in one of the most surprisingly entertaining indie titles of the year.

Armikrog, a unique claymation point-and-click adventure, is available now on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, DRM-free on GOG.com

If you don’t believe in love at first sight, just take one look at Armikrog. From the creators of “Neverhood”, comes this new generation take on claymation-powered point-and-click adventure. Produced by an all-star squad of writers, animators and voice actors – names you might recognise from Earthworm Jim, Napoleon Dynamite, Pinky and the Brain, or Mystery Science Theater 3000 – the humor, acting, and stop-motion animation are so good you’d never know it was an indie game just by looking at it. Eccentric writing, surreal worlds, and lovable characters come together in an experience that you just can’t ignore, the most unique adventure game in years, Armikrog.

In a time of action, explosions and hand-holding – games as unique as Armikrog have a hard time breaking through the mold. For a great analysis on why games like Armikrog are just as important, if not more, than today’s AAA titles – check out this brief report by GameSpot:

Pick up the Deluxe Editon today to get your hands on the original soundtrack composed by Terry Scott Taylor, the man behind the music for The Neverhood!

Escapists: The Walking Dead, in which you’ll craft and be crafty to escape against the odds, is available now, DRM-free on GOG.com with a 10% launch discount.

The game includes GOG Galaxy support for achievements and leaderboards.

Rick Grimes is a survivor. He’s a survivor of the elements, of overwhelming odds, of true hopelessness. Rick Grimes, is a survivor of the Zombie Apocalypse. And now, you are Rick Grimes – the escapist.Escapists: The Walking Dead is a zombie-filled twist on the original prison-break game. As Rick Grimes, you’ll be tasked with protecting your closest friends and family in a series of daring escapes from zombie-infested locations. If you’re a fan of the comic book story, you’ll find yourself in many familiar locations – starting with the Harrison Memorial Hospital, trudging through the Greene family farm, as well as the Meriwether Correctional Facility and Woodbury. With several authentic, comic book escape, a deep crafting system for tools and weapons, and of course – a shooty firearm here or there – the Escapists and The Walking Dead are a match made in heaven.

Outrun the horde in Escapists: The Walking Dead, available now DRM-free on GOG.com. The launch discount will last for one week, until October 7, 3:59 PM GMT.

Way of The Samurai 4, a crazy, feudal samurai adventure, is available now, DRM-free on GOG.com with a 40% launch discount.

You haven’t roamed like this before (unless you played this series before). Way of the Samurai is a previously Playstation exclusive series that’s famous for being positively ridiculous, and immensely influenced by your own choices. The series premieres on PC with Way of the Samurai 4, the biggest, most malleable entry so far. You arrive at a fictional Japanese port in a vaguely feudal setting, from this point on – the story is yours.

Way of the Samurai 4 presents a uniquely Japanese take on nonlinearity. You’re both capable of changing the world around you, and impressively insignificant.The world isn’t going to wait up for you to make up your mind, events will continue taking place, and the end is inevitable. How you choose to play the cards you’re dealt, and whether you decide do anything at all, will affect the outcome. Beneath an action-adventure layer, the game is also a true role playing sandbox – become a samurai hero, a selfish bandit, or a suave, silent protagonist. You’ll have a huge amount of control in creating your character or how you play him, and if you ever want to interrupt a cutscene by slashing everyone to pieces, well, that’s your prerogative.

You can also pick up the Way of The Samurai 4 DLC Pack, including new missions, new weapons, new clothing, and returning characters! Check it out.

Walk your path in the Way of The Samurai 4, available now, DRM-free on GOG.com. The launch discount will last for one week, until October 9, 12:59 PM GMT.

Have you heard the word?The word is that we get the chance to work with Larian Studios to design an NPC character in their fresh-off-the-kickstarter sequel, Divinity: Original Sin 2 – a unique in-game character, the #GOGHero, complete with a backstory and private motivations to intertwine with the players’ fates.

Well. YOU get to design them.Because the more is always the merrier, we’re handing the #GOGHero over to you, the gamers, and everyone is welcome to pitch in with their ideas! The entire gaming community is invited to a massive brainstorming session with Larian Studios & GOG.com, and to submit their own ideas for the upcoming character.

For a touch of authenticity, Larian is providing official guidelines to work with – just like the ones they use during development. Fun, but optional:

–Each character has 3 major traits: Vanity, aggression, pride, self-confidence, racist towards dwarves/elves/humans/orcs/sourcerers…–1 Quirk or Eccentricity: A predilection for dogs in leather boots, refuses to face north for religious reasons, in denial about his singing.–One Fear/Loss/Block/Wound: Something traumatic in their background for which they are compensating in some way, or which drives them to do something normal people don’t. His wife was killed in a tragic accident and now he’s a kamikaze detective with a death wish. His parents were murdered by a criminal so now he’s a vigilante crime-fighter. He’s terrified of intimacy so treats women terribly. That kind of thing.–Race: Human, dwarf, elf, lizard, undead.–Background: Gender, age, job function, loyalties.

Throughout the brainstorm, the team from Larian, including creative director Swen Vincke among others, will be joining in us to browse, weigh in, and search for inspiration! Finally, when the time comes, …read more

80 Days, an award-winning choose-your-own-adventure, is available now on Windows and Mac OS X, DRM-free on GOG.com

If you haven’t heard of Inkle’s 80 Days, then you’ve probably at least heard of the story that inspired your future adventure: Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days. It’s a familiar premise, and a timeless story – retold for a modern audience in a rebellious, steampunk spirit, and through a medium that couldn’t be more relevant. In doing so, 80 Days creates a memorable narrative that takes all the greatest parts of a classic, and reinvents them in a way that’s fresh, exciting, and wondrous once again. Set in an alternate 1872, you’ll accompany Phileas Fogg in a wager to circumnavigate the globe – and together you’ll shape your own interactive booklike adventure, and enjoy one of the most personal stories in gaming.

With the PC and Mac premiere 80 Days is also now bigger than ever, with 30 new cities in North and South America, major new characters, and brand new plotlines.

Generally speaking, it’s good to be General. The pay might not be great (in this case you’ll actually kind of have to pay to do it) but the perks, the perks are many. You get a cool hat, and you get to determine the outcome of mankind’s greatest wars. How’s that for a strong resume? Our weekly staff picks this week is Generally, and all-around awesome – with five fantastic strategy titles… and Roller Coaster Tycoon up to 75% off.

Panzer General 2 & 3D are classics. No doubt about that. They sit among the greatest and most memorable strategy titles of all time. It’s the grand stage and turn-based, hex-based combat that combine into the true treason for the series’ success, the perfect strike: depth and accessibility.Pacific General is a grand strategy as well, a spiritual sequel to the classic Panzer General series. In it, you’ll return to the overhead battlefields of World War II in full-blown historical missions, and what-if scenarios. And if you’re a fan of large-scale-hex-based battlefields – that same kind of game and feel also found a surprisingly comfy place in the unique steampunk-infused fantasy setting of Fantasy General.For a different kind of historical aura, Ultimate General: Gettysburg is a beautiful looking, tactically detailed and deceptively simple title. If you’re even remotely interested in war and world history, it’s hard not to recommend this authentic strategy.Finally, when you tire of waging war and its many pressures, take a break with Rollercoaster Tycoon – design your own FUNderland, pick your business strategy, and relax to the beautiful sound of children’s laughter, and their desperate corkscrew screams.

Apparently there is a trailer video in the works for Operation Hellstorm according to their Facebook page. Meanwhile, check out the final models of their first character and rocket launcher.

Most importantly, don’t forget to visit http://operation-hellstorm.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ for their current Wikia which answers a lot of questions regarding the game. So far it’s sounding pretty freaking ambitious! I’m definitely pumped after reading it! Let’s just hope it doesn’t go the way of Star Citizen!

Grand Ages: Medieval a global strategy game of war and economics, is available now, DRM-free on GOG.com.

How do you feel about gameplay on a grand scale? Well, Grand Ages: Medieval is ready to tickle your fancy of grandeur. There are hundreds of settlements, and over 30,000,000 Square Kilometers of Europe, Africa, Middle East and Scandinavia – and when you zoom in on your local lumberjacks going about their day, the immensity of it all immediately hits home.Grand Ages: Medieval is first and foremost a game of economics and city building. You’ll start out with a lonely settlement to build up from scratch, while slowly building up trade networks and relationships with neighboring, up-and-coming kingdoms, just like yours. The goal? Total domination, obviously. But whether you set out to to achieve medieval superiority through trade and coin, or sword and shield – the choice is yours to make.

A foursome of Telltale’s many classic adventures, is available now DRM-free on GOG.com. Get all games 75% off together, or 60% off individually! Before The Walking Dead, before the The Wolf Among Us, the Telltale Games catalog was a medley of point and click adventures and testing the waters for new ideas – always mixed with the studio’s unique charm. Here is just a peek at Telltale’s adventure:

In the year 2000, a flash-cartoon by the name of Homestar Runner slowly began working its way up to internet-sensation levels of popularity. By 2009, the series’s episodic Telltale spinoff was complete. And now, Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People is DRM-free on GOG.com – in which you get to play as Strong Bad, be attractive, and get a taste of how Telltale did adventure back in the day.

Calling the U.S. Department of Puzzle Research! Strange events require your utmost attention – a serial crime spree-er is on the loose, and he’s leaving all manner of brainteasers in his wake. That’s not to mention the puzzles that surround you every day. As Nelson Tethers you’ll have to traverse the perpetually-busy town of Scoggins, navigate a web of secret societies, peculiar sounds and… garden gnomes? Puzzle Agent & Puzzle Agent 2 are a duo of adventures, where beautiful hand-drawn art, hilarity and creepiness come together to form an amazing adventure game littered with smart challenges.

You are Hector. A rude man, a foul man. A policeman. You take the Great out of Britain, negotiate with terrorists, and would really much rather be somewhere else. Hector: Badge of Carnage follows the misadventures of the cynical cop as he trudges …read more